Horse Racing Tips: Rhys Williams has a trio of double-figure fancies

Point win suggests she can be competitive

Plumpton 13:55: Valencia Borget 1pt win 16/1

It's a weak mares' novices' hurdle that opens the card at Plumpton and I think the market has overreacted to one disappointing run.

Valencia Borget was an easy winner of an Irish point on debut and was bought privately to join Sarah Humphrey. Her first start for her new connections was in a bumper at Fakenham and I think the track and ground was against her. The ground was quite badly chewed up on the inside, where she raced throughout, and she raced a bit awkwardly turning the tight bends out of the back straight and turning into the home straight on the final circuit and dropped away late on having raced handily from the off.

I think the quicker ground today will be more suitable for this good ground point winner and although I think she would ideally want a more galloping track this will at least be more suitable than Fakenham. In a weak race I think her chance has been overlooked and any 12/1 or bigger appeals.

Step up in trip and cheekpieces to bring improvement on handicap debut

Southwell 16:30: The Questioner 1pt win 14/1

The Questioner makes his handicap debut off a mark of 83 and I think he can show he's better than that now up in trip and with headgear applied for the first time.

On his debut in an Irish point, he was pushed along from a long way out and was still in seventh turning into the home straight. He appeared to be going nowhere until suddenly taking off late on and finishing strongly into second.

Despite it being a completely unsuitable test he showed some ability on his rules debut in a bumper at Sedgefield when finishing sixth after being outpaced turning the final bend.

He's shown little in three starts over hurdles but two of those were over two miles which was always going to be far too sharp for him and on his hurdles debut over 2m6½f he looked a tricky ride.

Therefore it's no surprise that the cheekpieces are now applied and the combination of that, a return to quicker ground and the longer trip could allow The Questioner to start fulfilling the potential of his first two starts.

It may be that he's just a very difficult ride and even the headgear won't help that or that his ability will only come out in marathon chases in the long term but given the potential for improvement I think he's overpriced and any 10/1 or bigger appeals.

Potential for a strong pace which will suit

Wincanton 16:40: Smith's Bay 0.5pt win 18/1

Four of the six remaining in this handicap hurdle have led or raced very prominently in recent starts and that could result in this being strongly run.

That would set up nicely for Smith's Bay who has shaped better than the result suggests in his two starts for his current yard. The first of those two runs was at Wincanton over 2m4f where he was held up and raced keenly. He was still travelling well turning out of the back straight and eased into fifth on the long run to 2 out but had nothing left once turning in and finished well beaten.

He was once again held up and keen on his latest start at Chepstow and again he made a promising move leaving the back straight before soon being left behind.

It might be that Smith's Bay just has a hole in him and is nowhere near as good as he once was but the way he's travelled in those two runs suggests that he still has some ability and it might be that he's only now reaching peak fitness for his new yard. Any 16/1 or bigger appeals.